The present invention relates to the therapeutic application of electrotherapy and the therapeutic application of phototherapy to a patient, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a medical electrode assembly for use in applying these therapies and a method in which the therapies can be applied to a patient simultaneously.
Phototherapy and electrotherapy are two very different therapies. Phototherapy is a process where light and/or laser photons are directed onto the skin of the patient and enter the tissue of the skin of the patient for therapeutic purposes. The phototherapy light source is typically provided by a pad with a cluster of LEDs or a probe with LEDs and/or lasers or other light source. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0166146 A1 of Holloway et al. provides an example of the use of phototherapy.
In contrast, electrotherapy is the therapeutic application of electricity to the body. Stimulation wires have one end electrically connected to an electrical stimulation machine and the other end electrically connected to the skin of the body. Single or multiple channels with various frequencies can be utilized. Medical electrodes assemblies are used to connect the stimulation wires to the skin of the patient's body and are typically made of at least three separate layers. The three layers include an adhesive layer used to attach the medical electrode assembly to the body, a black rubber layer secured over the adhesive layer, and a foam or cloth backing layer attached to the rubber layer. Such medical electrode assemblies are not transparent with respect to visible, ultraviolet or infrared light, and one cannot visually see the skin of the patient through the electrode assembly.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,450,845 and 5,785,040 issued to Axelgaard provide examples of the construction of a typical medical electrode assembly. Also see U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0010161 A1 of Sun et al. for applying electricity or light to the skin of a patient. Further, see U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0068861 A1 of Yang and U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,995 issued to Segawa, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,674,511 and 4,838,273 issued to Cartrnell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,467 issued to Cartnell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,887 issued to Shigeta et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,579 and 5,571,165 issued to Ferrari, U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,428 issued to Way, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,628 issued to Wright, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,957 B2 issued to Gadsby for medical electrode assemblies that are radiolucent or transparent with respect to x-rays. U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,575 issued to Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,907,299 B2 issued to Han, U.S. Pat. No. 6,999,822 B2 issued to Koike, U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,278 issued to Cahalan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,835 issued to Strand, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,133,356 and 5,226,225 issued to Bryan et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,087 issued to Anderson et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0183989 A1 of Healy disclose other medical electrode assemblies.
While the medical electrode assemblies and/or methods of use disclosed in the above referenced patents and published applications may function in a satisfactory manner for their intended purposes, there remains a need for a method of treatment and medical electrode assembly enabling the simultaneous therapeutic applications of electrotherapy and phototherapy to a patient.